U.S. and European media

November 18, 2022

New York Daily News: Obama Missing Opportunity to Deal with Darfur?  Save Darfur, an organization seeking to bring an end to the mass murders in Sudan, urged President Obama to pressure China to crack down on the Sudanese government.  The group contends China has the economic clout to squeeze Sudan into ending the killing and allowing humanitarian workers to take steps to curtail the famine among thousands of refugees in southern Sudan. "This is President Obama's first critical test following the release of his new strategy for Sudan," said Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition. "His leadership on Sudan is essential when he meets with President Hu Jintao. If he does not make it clear that the U.S. is serious about peace in Sudan, it will send a message to China that its current Sudan policy is acceptable."  Save Darfur fears Obama will drop the ball on the Sudanese genocide, noting that the issue hasn't received any attention during Obama's trip through Asia.

FrontPageMag.com: Obama's Silence on Sudan.  President Obama's recent trip to China presented a golden opportunity to address a crisis that has long confounded the international community: the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an opportunity missed.  Recognizing the importance of Obama's China trip for Sudan's future, 44 members of Congress sent a letter to the president last Friday before his departure, asking him "to make Sudan a priority" in his discussions with the Chinese.  "Failure to exert sufficient public pressure on China regarding its relationship with Khartoum will send a signal to the rest of the world that the United States places other interests ahead of achieving peace in Sudan," the letter states.  Obama has done little to change China's thinking. So, left with only Obama's strategy of "cookies" and "stars" rather than one of hard substance, the tragedy in Sudan is set to repeat itself.

Sudan Tribune: US envoy discusses CPA with Sudanese adviser.  Ghazi Salah Al-Deen, Sudanese Presidential adviser and the visiting US envoy to Sudan Scott Gration discussed today the CPA implementation and Doha peace process to settle Darfur conflict.  The US envoy proposed to hold next April only elections for the Sudanese presidency and the post of president of southern Sudan government, as well as state governors. He asked to adjourn the legislative elections to the period of after the southern Sudan referendum. Further Gration suggested extend the National Assembly membership from 450 to 510 seats.  The US envoy proposed to the two peace partners during his last visit also to accept the results of the fifth census but to amend the constitution in order to prevent modification of the peace agreement with a number of voters less than 80%. Also he suggests guarantying southern Sudan 30% of the executive power as it is the case currently.

Sudan Tribune: Darfur civil society meeting kicks off in Doha.  The consultative forum of Darfur civil society kicked off today in the Qatari capital with the participation of 170 groups in a bid to associate them in the ongoing efforts to end the six year armed conflict in western Sudan.  The Doha process started in February 2009 with talks between the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). However the two parties failed to continue the peace talks after Khartoum refusal to release over hundred rebels sentenced to death.  JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein Adam told Sudan Tribune yesterday that most of the civil society representatives are supporters of the ruling National Congress Party; he also urged the mediation to include delegates from the displaced and refugees camps.  Djibril Bassole, the Joint Chief mediator and Qatari state minister for foreign affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud stressed, in their speeches at the opening session, on the important role of the civil society in the peace and reconciliation process as well as its responsibility to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.

AFP: South Sudan clashes leave 47 dead: military.  Forty-seven people were killed in ethnic clashes in south Sudan's Lakes state region, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.  The violence follows an attack on Sunday in which five were killed and a minister in the semi-autonomous south's government was wounded in Central Equatoria state.  More than 2,000 people have died in the south and 250,000 been displaced by inter-ethnic clashes since January, according to the United Nations, which says the rate of violent deaths now surpasses that in the western region of Darfur.  Many fear the violence will disrupt ongoing voter registration for Sudan's 2010 general elections, the first in 24 years and a key part of the 2005 peace deal that ended the country's two-decade-long civil war between north and south.

The Darfur Daily News is a service of the Save Darfur Coalition. To subscribe to the Daily News, please email [email protected]. For media inquiries, please contact Ashley Roberts at (202) 478-6181, or [email protected].